Man With a Plan – The Intervention(s)

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

After seeing Lowell (Matt Cook) emotionally trapped in Kelly’s (Jessica St. Clair) webs, Adam (Matt LeBlanc) and Andi (Liza Snyder) decide on having an intervention to break them up. They call Don (Kevin Nealon) and Marcy (Kali Rocha) for support. Immediately upon hearing the word “intervention” Marcy defends her drinking by claiming that many people drink wine at lunch while Don doesn’t want fingers pointed at his dog track issue. Adam and Andi clarify that it’s for Lowell so that he dumps Kelly as she’s toxic and simply using him for the sweet setup. Joe (Stacy Keach) joins in, but initially wonders if they’re intervening for the gambler or the boozer. Don and Marcy look up in serial sequence.

Soon Lowell arrives, sporting a goatee. Adam thinks his animal love made him resemble a raccoon in real life but as it turns out Kelly made him grow one. Lowel loves it as he gets to stroke it when he’s thinking stuff. He shares how Kelly has introduced him to scotch recently. Though he hated it earlier, now that all his taste buds are burnt he loves it. Sensing the serious tone of the room he wonders what might be up. Andi reveals they’re having an intervention. Lowell immediately supports Marcy as to how she’s not a full blown alcoholic yet. Marcy who has a semi-filled wine glass in her hand at the very moment gets offended while Adam makes a mental note of having an intervention for her in the future. He reveals the real reason to Lowell and he’s shook. Andi mentions how they love him and feel like they’re losing him. Don adds how they fear he’s better off than them as Kelly is so damn foxy. Adam explains that while he’s a trusting good man that Kelly is devilish. Lowell refuses to end things with her. Joe takes over and, instead of brainwashing against Kelly, he praises how the new scotch-drinking hairy Lowell dating a cute blonde takes him back to his own good old days.

Kelly arrives at the scene upon getting Lowell’s text. He reveals how everyone’s trying to break them up. Kelly assures that she’s a changed person now. She apologizes to Andi for her past behavior. All awe in unison except Adam. He doesn’t buy the new version, but is made to shut up. Pissed by the turn of events, Adam dissolves the intervention asking everybody to go home.

The next day Adam explains to Andi how her quality of seeing the best in people at times makes her act irrationally. He asks her to wise up and not trust Kelly. Andi doesn’t understand why she’d pretend. Adam points out how she’s looking for a soft landing after being fired and how Lowell, a walking marshmallow, fits into the scenario perfectly. In spite of Adam’s best efforts, Andi doesn’t change her mind. He goes to Joe hoping for some support but as it turns out, he’s already hardcore team Kelly. Joe asks him to find someone more pliable whom he could manipulate with greater ease.

We cut to Adam meeting Don at a restaurant. He starts his idea to gang up on Lowell and Kelly to break them apart but is left gaping half-way when he finds Kelly there. Don reveals he and Kelly came to dine out. They have nicknamed each other as “Don Don” and “Kell Bell.” At this point, Adam is desperately looking for someone with a heart of stone.

He visits Marcy and starts with the same speech but is thwarted again by Kelly who’s already there. Marcy reveals how she showed up at her pottery class. Adam asks if it’s not teensy bit suspicious. Marcy doesn’t understand what could be suspicious about someone having interest in the world’s oldest hobby and addresses Kelly as “Kelly Bean.” Adam is disgusted and leaves the two alone.

Adam goes back to Andi and is stumped to see Kelly there as well! She’s handing over flowers and a vase to Andi who’s now gaga over her younger sis a.k.a. “Kelly Belly.” Adam quotes how this Bean Bell now has a Belly. After Kelly leaves Adam bets that Kelly’s following him; that’d explain her reaching all his target locations in advance. He’s feels the vase might be an undercover surveillance device and directs his speaking to it asking Kelly to come get him. Andi thinks he’s gone nuts.

The next day Adam finds an intervention panel waiting for him. They all feel he needs to let go of the past, forgive and accept this new Kelly. Adam is adamant to not abandon his stand and asks Kelly personal questions like Lowell’s birth date and if she mentioned how she’s selfishly looking for a guy with kids. It turns out both are well aware of these aspects and fine with it. Adam is at a loss and stomps off upstairs. As he leaves Kelly asks everyone to give a hand of applause for the guy who stood up for what he thought was right. This infuriates Adam even more.

Andi later reminds Adam how he was when they began dating each other. He never spoke about his feelings, nor did he ever accept that he could be wrong. But now he’s changed. She asks him to give Kelly a chance.

He invites Kelly home and apologizes for behaving the way he did. Kelly forgives him, but just when she’s done accepting the apology her expression changes form mellow to mean. She spills how great it feels to finally own him! Adam is thrown off-guard. She is indeed evil. Kelly agrees it was fun getting everybody on her side one by one and now even if he tries revealing all this no one will believe him. Just when she’s about to do the triumph walk, Adam swings open the pantry door only to reveal Andi who was listening to their conversation the entire time. Flabbergasted, Kelly pretends that Adam was planning on all this and he drugged her but Andi is not buying it this time. Adam reveals she was there to make sure he apologized properly but deep down he knew the ruse was about to blow up any moment, so it’d be a win-win for him anyways. Andi is super mad at Kelly and asks her to leave their house as well as Lowell immediately.

Lowell is shocked about everything that transpired. He is hurt as he changed so much for her. Kelly comes downstairs with all things packed and is about to leave. She asks Lowell if not being a good person is really a deal breaker. Lowell starts to think about their epic sexual life, but Adam and Andi send him upstairs before he took the next wrong decision within the same week. Adam asks him to shave off the goatee, too.

Kelly starts her emotional goodbye speech, but halfway remembers that she doesn’t need to play the “good person” anymore so she waves toodles and walks away. Adam and Andi are relieved that they finally got their clean shaven, living, breathing marshmallow friend, Lowell back in their lives.